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Rose gets her wish

This week: Rose gets her wish

Rose and The Doctor become very close after travelling together and he realises it's more than friendship.  One thing leads to another and he asks Rose to marry him but Rose is upset because her dad should be present to give her away so he does something about it – with consequences.

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Based loosely on 'Father's Day' and 'The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit' after the events on Sanctuary Base One, where they were temporarily stranded and talk about setting up home together, he realises they could do this and is willing to sacrifice everything to make Rose happy and some very careful planning takes place. Mixed with a tiny bit of 'Doomsday'

They had just said goodbye to the crew from Sanctuary Base One, having rescued them from falling into the black hole, Rose has never stopped clinging to the Doctor except for letting him get changed out of his orange space suit. Even then, given half a chance, she would have gone with him but he assured her, he was going nowhere. After he set their flight path for just randomly drifting around a nebula close to the earth's solar system, he took Rose into the library where they usually relaxed and said they needed to talk about what had just happened.

They had been in the base's common room, having just lost the Tardis and had been talking about the crew's offer to take them to wherever it was they came from and discussing about what they would do. That was when they realised there was a lot more to their friendship than they were letting on and since they thought it was impossible for them to ever get back to the earth they knew, the Doctor had held Rose tightly and they had kissed, just briefly until they both kissed properly, under the open roof with stars and planets being sucked into a large black hole, both unaware of their surroundings. They had been interrupted by the sound or rather lack of sound coming from the drill below them.

Then the Doctor had said he was going down, their only chance of finding the Tardis to get them back home and Rose kissed him one last time before he descended into the pit. He managed to leave a message for Rose before he fell into the darkness. To tell her he loved her.

Now they were curled up on the sofa, in the Tardis, talking and discussing what had taken place and they both expressed their feelings and what they would do when he took Rose home.

"I'll have to tell my mum, she might slap you again," Rose teased.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time but I really didn't deserve that, my timing was just a bit off, that's all. Do you have to tell her?"

He was shivering at the thought of being on the receiving end of Jackie Tyler's wrath for daring to get involved with Rose.

"Oh, tell me you're not actually scared of her, after all we've been through? Really? I'll make it worth your while if you come with me to tell her," she said, as she leaned forward to kiss him.

He moved her around so she was lying against the sofa cushions and pinning her arms up, unfastened her jacket, revealing a pink low cut top and leaned down to kiss her neck, then moving further down.

Things became heated when he pulled down her top to kiss her even further down and she grabbed his neck and made a mark. He looked up asking her if she wanted to play rough and to be careful what she wished for as he pulled her jacket off her shoulders and lifted her top over her head as she freed her arms and went to unbutton his shirt. Soon he was lying on her, kissing her and reaching around to unfasten her bra as she pulled his shirt over his shoulders and they continued kissing.

Suddenly he got up and pulled her with him and lifted her into his arms.

"Why don't we continue this in my room? What do you think?"

"Mmm, sounds good to me but maybe we should just take things slowly, no need to rush, maybe some kissing on the way to your room would be nice."

He started walking to his room which was suddenly a lot closer than he remembered, the Tardis was playing 'find the room quicker' again and sensing they were both indeed in a hurry to continue what they were doing. Once he had Rose laid on his bed, they soon lost most of their other clothes until they were down to the last items as he climbed on her, covering them both over with Tardis blue satin sheets with silver stars and hovering just above her.

He asked if she remembered their conversation about him not being able to spend the rest of his life with her. She did.

"Rose, I'm not saying that I can stay with you, not forever but while I'm in this present regeneration I can be with you, if you want. I'm not promising I'll never regenerate again but I'll fight to stay like this for as long as I can, I promise, we'll be together, if you want this as much as I do. The thing is, the Timelords never really did this sort of thing for fun, only out of necessity so until it becomes that, I'll have to go easy on you. I can't, shall we say, show you what I'm fully capable of, not that I don't want to because I do but not until we're both ready for that sort of commitment and until then, Rose, let me give you a taste of what you can expect as a sign I'm ready to stay with you for as long as you'll have me. There's one thing though, Rose Tyler, before we do this, 'cos I don't want you to think I'm saying it because I have to afterwards. I love you and I want us to be together so will you marry me?"

Rose sat up, not expecting such a declaration from him. She wanted to be with him, it was all she ever thought about recently but this was a big decision and wouldn't be forever, just as long as she wanted. She had to think about what effects it would have on them both, on him if he regenerated and she hated him and on herself, being broken-hearted when she lost him. How would they both cope? Then the old saying came to mind, 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'

Rose put her arms around him and held tightly onto him and simply said, "Yes" as she laid back down, pulling him onto her as the last of their clothes were shed and he gently laid fully on top of her as he showed her he wanted to be with her.

As the both lay together, Rose still trying to catch her breath wondering if that was only a small sample of what was to follow once they got married, they talked about where exactly to get married because an earth ceremony was out of the question, too many awkward questions would be asked. So he suggested going back in time to the sixties when young couples would run off to get married, not telling Jackie their plans, just the two of them but Rose said she would have loved her dad to have seen her get married but knew it was impossible, Jackie for one would never believe he was there and would want him to stay, which he couldn't.

Time had already been messed with by giving Pete Tyler a few extra hours with Rose, nearly ending with the entire human race being wiped out and going back to the sixties was already pushing their luck. So the Doctor came up with a plan, which if all went smoothly would give Rose what she wanted and allow Jackie to be there too but she wouldn't remember Pete actually being there.

So he outlined his plan to Rose who said she would do anything for her dad to be there to give her away. He would go back to the day Rose saved her dad and they were inside the church, he would wait until Pete was on his own after he finds out who she is, risk telling him he was a future Doctor and get him to go with him in the Tardis, where Rose would hopefully be in her wedding dress, take them all to get Jackie and they would go to a quiet Scottish village and get married. Afterwards, Pete would be returned back to the church at the exact same time he left, still not knowing his fate but it couldn't be altered and Rose knew that. She just wanted her dad to see her get married, he deserved that much.

So the plan was set in motion, they found a village where the local Justice of the Peace would marry them and arranged to go back the next day. It was 1969, no-one knew about them so what could possibly go wrong? The Doctor was planning it!

They spent the night apart as traditional, just having a few kisses before Rose went to her room to get some sleep. He was leaving the Tardis just outside the village so they wouldn't get distracted and in the morning, while Rose was getting ready in the Tardis wardrobe, he would go get Pete then Jackie.

The next morning, the Doctor knocked on Rose's door and asked if she was going to get ready. She shouted she was, as soon as he stopped knocking on the door. She checked the coast was clear and made her way to the wardrobe. The Tardis had singled out a beautiful wedding dress with lace sleeves and rose petals on the hem and the sleeves and a matching veil.

She took her time getting ready then walked back to her room, the Tardis being thoughtful again had moved it nearer. She went back in and thought her dad should have been waiting for her but had no idea what time it was. She knew they'd been moving and hoped the Doctor would get it right. Five minutes after she got back, a knock came on her door and a familiar voice saying her name. Her father, Pete Tyler was standing there, just as she remembered him from when she'd gone back to save him.

"Rose, the Doctor, well this one, explained what was going on. I wasn't going to come with him, he's changed. I can see why you're marrying him and I can't change the fact that I missed you growing up but I can do this for you, I can give you away at your wedding but I know I have to go back as soon as it's all over but I can live with that. I want to do this for you Rose."

He came up to her and put his arms around her as she cried.

"Hey, it's supposed to be a happy day so be happy." He got his hankie out of his top pocket and gave her it. "The Doctor says he's going to get your mother, in your own time and I don't know what she'll think of me but he said he'd explain it to her and if it's anything like when I showed her how to work the video recorder, good luck to him."

Rose stopped crying and smiled at the thought. Before she knew it, there was another knock at the door and the Doctor was calling for them to go back to the console room and that her mother was there. This was going to be awkward if Jackie hadn't got her head around the fact her dead husband was about to give their daughter away.

Rose and Pete walked down the corridor, Rose could just see her mother and waited for her reaction. She just stared at the two of them, she'd had it explained to her but she hadn't quite believed it. The Doctor wasn't there, the door was open and he was waiting outside, a few minutes walk from where they were getting married. Jackie didn't know whether to hug Pete or slap him for leaving her for twenty years. He still looked exactly the same as the day he died.

They all walked out of the Tardis, the Doctor standing there seeing how beautiful Rose looked in her wedding dress. They walked the short distance to the small office, Rose and her dad arm in arm followed by Jackie and the Doctor. Pete handed Rose over to the Doctor as the ceremony took place, he had found a ring from somewhere. After they exchanged vows, having altered them slightly to suit them, they went back to the Tardis.

Then things got complicated as Jackie wanted to know how it was possible that Pete was there and now he was back, why couldn't he stay? The Doctor couldn't tell her that if he didn't take Pete back, the whole of history could have changed and tried to explain it in a way she'd understand but since Pete was standing there it was going to be difficult.

He knew now that he shouldn't have granted Rose her wish, she also was questioning the fact why he had to go back. He took her to one side and told her she knew the reason, if he didn't go back at exactly the same time there would be dire consequences. Rose was tearful, he had his arms around her, looking over her shoulder at Jackie and Pete who were talking. How could he be so cruel as to split them up again? It wasn't up to him though, The Reapers were already attacking in the past, they wouldn't give up and would get into the church eventually and Pete was the only one who could stop them – unless he could come up with another plan.

He agreed they could all sit and talk about it but he wanted to spend some time alone with his new wife and he couldn't take Pete back with Jackie, how would she explain his sudden appearance so he said they could stay in the Tardis and told them to wait in the library and they'd join them later, giving them time to talk.

Rose and her new husband went off to his room, now becoming theirs and he carried her through the doorway and lay her on the bed, leaned down and kissed her as she put her arms around him, pulling him down on top of her. He asked her if she wanted some time to get used to being married before he really showed her his love so she said she would rather have some time just being together before they were fully committed.

After a few hours of showing his love for his new wife, they got dressed and made their way to the library, knocking on the door before they entered to find Pete and Jackie weren't talking to each other at all. Jackie was not looking pleased at being left alone with the man who had been gone for twenty years, leaving her to raise their daughter on her own. Rose was upset that her parents couldn't get along, it was just like when she had seen them in that church together and even the Doctor could see this clearly wasn't going to work out.

Getting Pete to go back though was going to be a different matter – he didn't want to go back. He didn't know that by going back, his fate was to be decided by him making the ultimate sacrifice, be knocked down and killed by a car or let those who remained on the earth be consumed by The Reapers and even if somehow they managed to escape, spend the next twenty years of his life arguing with Jackie but watching his daughter grow up. It was a choice that the Doctor knew he had to make for him because Pete was unaware of the first part, for all he knew, he would be trapped inside that church forever or face divorcing Jackie. Whichever way it was looked at, Rose was going to be in the same position as she'd always been – growing up without her dad.

The Doctor had to make that decision for her and either way, she was not going to be happy and it threatened their marriage before they'd even started. How could she love the man who was sending her dad away again? He took Rose's hand and led her to their sofa, where they had always sat together, away from where they could be overheard. He knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"Rose, I got your dad here for you, you knew it was only for your wedding. I did it because I love you, I've always loved you and I so want to make you happy but you know how this has to end, he has to go back or you and the entire population will start disappearing because there are now people who shouldn't be here and The Reapers will start to appear again, it's putting everything in jeopardy, including you, you'll be gone too. We never found out what happened if your dad hadn't sacrificed himself because he did, The Reapers would have got in or you would have all starved. It's our wedding day, I can't lose you and I'd be gone too, I might as well be because I can't go on without you."

"There has to be a way where everyone wins, can't we think of a way? Please Doctor, I can't lose you or my dad. That's what you do, the impossible."

She leaned on his shoulder as he put his arm around her.

Jackie was glaring at them and Pete alternatively, Pete was pacing up and down, glancing at all the books, most not in any earth language and wondering what his daughter had got herself in to and the Doctor was trying to console a bleary-eyed Rose. It was supposed to be their happiest day and he couldn't even manage to get that right for her and was now regretting the whole thing, except for actually marrying Rose, something he'd never regret as long as he lived, no matter how many times he would regenerate.

"You mess with time, constantly, why not in this case?" Rose asked between her sobs. "If you have to return him at the exact same moment you took him, what difference does it make if he's here two hours or twenty years as long as he goes back? He could have a full life here, with us then all you have to do is return him to that moment in time when you took him or have it all work out as it should have done originally. Make a deal with him, that he promises he will go with you if you let him have a full life here. We can cover up the fact he's been gone for twenty years. I know I've still missed out on having him around while I grew up but I can have him around now."

"Rose, Sweetheart, you're forgetting that he looks twenty years younger, how can you explain that? Plus, they're not exactly getting on at the moment, do you want them both to still remain miserable? Even if they do get together, how can they make up for twenty years? Can you guarantee they won't go back to arguing again, that your dad will still be the same person as he was back then? Rose, I know I'm good but I can't fix that, I can't change his personal history, that he'll be successful. I know the Pete Tyler from the alternate universe was a success, maybe this one would have made it too but we'll never know. Don't you see, this is something I can't fix, ever. It's an endless paradox Rose, there's no perfect solution and there never will be."

Rose was in tears again, there was just no answer to this. Her dad had not aged, he still looked the same as twenty years ago, still wearing the same suit, he'd been taken minutes after she had told him who she was and had just left him. She was still in that church but she had no remembrance other than he had finally sacrificed himself so nothing else could have happened and Jackie seemed to be resigned to the fact he wasn't really there, that she really had lost him all that time ago and the Doctor was powerless to force Pete out of the Tardis and to face the inevitable.

He had to make that decision. He let go of Rose and helped her up and crossed to where Jackie was sitting saying, "Pete, Jackie, I know it's not fair and I'd never have done this to you. Rose wanted you to be at her wedding, Pete and that was right, you should have been there but you also know the situation you were in when I came to get you. You had just been talking to Rose, my other self had disappeared and that's what will happen if you don't go back, everyone else on the entire planet will disappear if you stay, it's impossible for you to stay, that moment you came with me and travelled with me so you could see Rose and I get married can only stay a moment, I have to take you back at that exact time. Rose wanted to know what difference it would make how long you were away as long as you did go back and normally she would have been right. My people, The Timelords would have stopped it and I'm the only one left and I don't have that power. Pete, it's up to you, I have to tell you what happened that day I took you from the church. When Rose saved you from getting run down by that car, history was changed and The Reapers were sent to put it right but they went after everyone. You realised it was you they were after, that you should have died when that car hit you so you went out and sacrificed yourself so your daughter could live. That's what you have to do Pete, you have to go back to save Rose."

He stopped to let it sink in. It hadn't got any easier for Rose, she had always known the outcome but Jackie hadn't and she looked shocked to think her useless husband had sacrificed himself to save their daughter. Her thoughts went back to that terrible day, that somehow no-one had realised what had happened except she had seen him lying in the road in front of a car and a blonde woman was standing over him. Now she realised it was Rose, she'd not believed her when she'd told her.

"I can give a little more time but not much. Every second you're away makes The Reapers stronger. I can't force you to go, it's your choice. I wish there was another way, I really do, for Rose's sake. I wish she had not grown up without you and I promise you, I love her and I'll take great care of her. I'm going to go set the flight plan to go back just before I arrived and you entered the Tardis so you won't remember this, it never took place and you'll decide to do the right thing for Rose's sake. Jackie, I can take you back to just before I came and told you that Rose and I were getting married so you won't remember any of this. I know you'll probably slap me for daring to marry your daughter without telling you but if so, then that's that."

Then he turned to his wife. "Rose, I can't make this go away for you, I'm so sorry. You already knew the consequences, you know what the outcome is. This is what I have to face all the time, this is what I do. I can make it a little easier for you though, you've had your dad at your wedding so take some photos of you and him, go put your wedding dress back on and we'll all be in them."

He turned to her and kissed her cheek.

Rose went to put her wedding dress on, still tearful and The Doctor followed her to put his black suit back on. They changed in silence, he was watching her as she stood in her underwear, trying to get her wedding dress back on. He walked up behind her and fastened the hooks for her, kissing her neck, then putting his arms around her waist, leaning her back onto him. She turned around and kissed him as he whispered that he loved her.

They went back to the library and took some photos on Rose's phone, more of Rose and Pete than any of the others. The ultimate photo Pete took, after some instruction on how to use a camera on a phone, was Rose and the Doctor kissing. They walked slowly to the console room and after careful programming, they arrived at the church a minute before Pete had been whisked away for Rose's wedding and as he left, he told Jackie and Rose he loved them both and how proud he was of Rose. Both Rose and Jackie were in tears as the door closed behind him, the Doctor was stood between them with his arms around them both.

He programmed the Tardis once more to take Jackie back home just before he'd told her they were getting married and once she was gone, he sent the Tardis into an orbit just above the earth so he and Rose could finally spend some time together as they went back to their room. When they got there, they were surprised to see a door had appeared that hadn't been there before. Curious, they opened it to discover that the Tardis was dropping hints when they revealed a beautifully decorated complete nursery.

They both smiled and he asked her again, did she want some time alone together, just the two of them? She gave her answer by turning him around, pushing him towards the bed and unbuttoning his shirt as fast as her fingers would let her, while he unhooked the back of her dress and they crawled between the sheets, taking the rest of their clothes off and Rose told him to finish where they had left off earlier and not to hold out and not go easy on her. It was just as well they were floating above the Earth as Rose let a scream.

The End!